The Livingstone Magistrate Court on Monday has granted bail to Alliance for Community Action Executive Director Laura Miti 54, of PHI Lusaka and her Deputy Borwell Mwewa 45, of PHI Lusaka of K 2,000 each in their own recognizance and two working sureties from reputable institutions.

And Fumba Chama popularly known as Pilato has been released from police detention.

Pilato arrested over the weekend on allegations of unlawful assembly.

This is in a matter in which Miti and Mwewa are charged with one count each of assult on police officer contrary to section 250 (b) Chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.

Statements of the offence are that on the 22 day of December 2019 at the Livingstone Central Police, the duo did assault two police officers who were on duty.

When they appeared before Magistrate Michael Mulalelo in a fully parked courtroom on Monday afternoon for the explanation of the charge, the duo told the Court that they understood the charge but denied the offence.

After taking plea, the defence lawyers Linda Kasonde of LCK Chambers and Brian Gombwa of MAK Partners applied for bail pending appeal which was granted.

In applying for bail pending trial, Lawyer Gomba asked the court to grant the accused persons bail each in accordance with the provisions of section 123 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code of Chapter 88 of the laws of Zambia.

Further he informed the Court the the offences the duo committed were bailable and that the case in particular does not attract a death penalt.

Ms Kasonde also complained to Court the treatment that Ms Miti who is Asthmatic was subjected to by the police during her detention.

She asked the Court to excuse the duo on the date they are scheduled to appear for plea because they are Lusaka residents.

Magistrate Mulalelo granted the bail application and the matter has been adjourned to January 6, 2019 for a mention and January 13, 2020 for commencement of trial.

Earlier in the day, the lawyers representing the accused Linda Kasonde and Brian Gombwa of MAK Partners had a tough time to push the state to have their clients appear before Court.

From morning up to about 16:30 Hours, the people who had turned up to offer solidarity to the two accused persons were still at Court while others were seen at the Livingstone Central Police where they duo was detained.

They were only brought to Court slightly after 16:50 Hours.

Pilato was also later released on police bond.

And Ms Miti has denied allegations by Police that she along with Mr Mwewa assaulted police officers at the police station.

Writing on her Facebook page moments after she was released, Ms Miti said the thought of assaulting the officers never even crossed their minds.

“Our forcible hosts decided they didn’t want us at their Christmas table after all. Thank you all for your support,” she wrote jokingly.

“Still a little off colour but expecting a good night’s sleep to mend that. Spare a thought for those who must stay in our police cells long, even if they be guilty of a crime,” Ms Miti said.

“And no we did not attack any police officer nor would we think of doing such a thing. And yes the work continues.”

And Pilato vowed that he will not be intimidated.

“I will never be intimidated, bullied or negotiated away from my attachment to this beautiful country. It is my strong belief that the wealth of this country must benefit not only a few people at the top but every citizen of this country including those at the very bottom of society,” he wrote on his Facebook page moments after his release.

Bishop George Cosmas Lungu, of Chipata Diocese, who is also President of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops, recently raised the alarm regarding the food situation.

This is according to information carried by the Nairobi-based AMECEA News, a regional online news sharing service owned by the region’s Bishops under the auspices of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa.

Lowest rains since 1981

Bishop Lungu’s call comes right on the heels of another appeal made by the Bishop of Mongu Diocese who is also Caritas Zambia Bishop Director, Evans Chinyemba, OMI.

Addressing journalists during the November 2019, ‘ZCCB Media Day’ in Lusaka, at the Catholic Secretariat, Bishop Chinyemba warned of the severe risk of food insecurity in the country due to a critical drought that has hit the Southern African country.

The areas most affected, explains AMECEA News, are Zambia’s Southern and Western Provinces.

The two provinces, in 2019, received the lowest seasonal rainfall since 1981.

2.3 million Zambians facing a severe shortage of food

According to information from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the secretariat of the Zambia Red Cross, the number of hungry families in Zambia has risen from 1.9 million registered in March 2019 to a current 2.3 million.

Church leaders, NGOs as well as diplomats, have asked the Zambian Government to declare a national disaster.

To the contrary, the Zambian Government insists that the hunger situation is under control and manageable.

Church calls on Government to declare an emergency

Declaring an emergency would unlock international humanitarian assistance.

“Together with some ambassadors, NGOs and civil society we have tried to convince the Government to declare a national emergency by letting the world know that we need help, but unfortunately this has not happened,” explains Bishop Lungu.

“Facts are facts: People are foraging for fruit in the forests because they have no food … you cannot hide that fact. It would have been more prudent to say openly that the situation is much more serious than we thought,” adds the prelate, expressing hope that aid will come soon for the sake of the people

In its quest to supplement Government’s efforts in mitigating the effects of hunger in the country, the Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition Alliance in partnership with Miracle Life Church has delivered food hampers to some hunger-stricken families in Gwembe District.

The food hampers worth K300 000 delivered mid November 2019 comprised a 25 kg bag of mealie meal, 5kgs beans, 5kgs Kapenta and 2kgs sugar taking into consideration the nutritional needs of the beneficiaries.

A total of 5000 people selected with the help the Traditional Leadership, the District Administration and Health Authorities have benefitted from the support which is expected to extend to other parts of the country among them Shangombo and Lunga Districts.

Those who benefitted include families with children under the age of two years who are the most vulnerable to chronic malnutrition, people living with HIV, adolescent girls, women of reproductive age and people the community felt were desperately in need of food.

In its assessment of the hunger situation in Gwembe District, the CSO-SUN discovered that the nutrition status of the District was deteriorating due to lack access to nutritious foods resulting into cases of underweight adults and children increasing.

From statistics seen during the Child Health week exercise in November 2019, cases of underweight among Children in the District had increased from 0.8 percent from second quarter of 2019 to 10 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019.
According to the Mid-Upper Arm Circumference measurement (MUAC) used to assess the Nutritional status of Children, it was discovered that 75 percent of all the children assessed were in need of supplementary feeding immediately failure to which they would face severe acute malnutrition.

CSO SUN Country Coordinator Mathews Mhuru has since commended Miracle Life Church for partnering with the organization to support the 5000 people in need of food in Gwembe District.

Mr Mhuru said the provision of food to the over 2.3 million people affected by hunger cannot be left to government alone as it is a huge task.

He has further appealed to the government through the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit to prioritize relief distribution to areas like Chamwe which have no food markets.

Mr Mhuru said in Chamwe it was discovered that people were washing off chemicals from seeds received under FISP and eating them due to lack of food.

He said it was also reported in Chaamwe that a person living with HIV died due to hunger which resulted from lack of food.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dora Siliya says the government has NOT come up with a fee that will be paid by those who want to invest in the cultivation of Marijuana.

Ms. Siliya said that reports that the government has pegged the license fee at two hundred and fifty dollars are false and should be dismissed, adding that the inter-ministerial committee that has been appointed will work on modalities on how best the cultivation of cannabis can be done within the legal framework.

Ms Siliya emphasized that the cultivation of Marijuana is still illegal until such a time when a law is put in place to regulate the use of Marijuana for medicinal and export purposes.

She said this in response to a question from the media after Kazadi films paid a courtesy call on her today.

Meanwhile, Ms Siliya has urged families to uphold the country’s values in the face of technology .

She said the abuse of social media has the potential to erode the country’s rich values and traditions.

Simba Milling Limited has reduced the price of a 25 kilogram bag of breakfast mealie meal from K150 to K130, with immediate effect.

Simba milling Limited Sales and Marketing Manager Dennis Chiwaya announced the K20 price reduction in a press release, issued to ZANIS in Lusaka today.

Mr Chiwaya said the wholesale price reduction is effective today, Monday December 23, 2019.

He noted that the price reduction is in line with the tripartite agreement signed between the Food Reserve Agency (FRA), Simba Milling and other stakeholders.

Mr Chiwaya has since advised retailers to sell a 25 kilogram bag of breakfast mealie meal at K135 within Lusaka.

Recently, African Milling Limited announced a similar reduction in the price of breakfast mealie-meal from K150 to K130.

The price of the country’s staple food has in the recent past increased to unprecedented levels with the commodity fetching around K150 in Lusaka and the Copperbelt, and K170 in Livingstone, among other places countrywide.

Government has assured the general public that the authority is working round the clock to reduce the high price of mealie meal in the country.